Bus body



April 30, 1940. E. M. HICKS.

BUS BODY Filed June 29, 1939 2 Sheets-Sheet l INVENTOR. iii/1 rfi'cna WVejr.

ATTORNEY-7 BUS BODY Filed June 29, 1939 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR, iZ/l5 7 BY I ATTORNEYS.

Patented Apr. 30, 1940 Q Y 2,199,1o1; I

BUS Bonn v Earl M. Hicks, Lebanom lnd. Application June 29. 1939, serialNo. -281,836 I f 1 Claim. -(o1. 296-137) V In my Patent No. 2,104,989issued January 11, 1938, there is disclosed a metallic bus bodystructure having metal archedroof plates supported by longitudinallyspaced inverted U-shaped bows,

5 wherein the arched roof plates are so attached to and supported byinverted U-shaped bows that, as the vehicle passes over an uneventerrain, the

" bows and roofplates' may flex and shift relative to each other withoutdamage and without 10 variation of the desired weatherproofcharacteristics of the structure. v

In that structure the arched portions of the roof supporting bows areexposed as transverse ribs depending below theunder-surfaces of the roofplates. 7 V

The. object of my present invention is to provide means by which flatmetalceiling plates may be associated with the under-surfaces of thearches of the roof supporting bows, to prothe bus body in-such mannerthatsaid ceiling plates will not interfere with the desired flexi-.bility between the bows and roof plates, without the utilization offastening members of such 25 character that they might possibly loosenand become exposed below the under-surfaces of the ceiling plates insuch manner as to injure the passengers. h

The accompanying drawings illustrate my in- 30 vention.

Fig. 1 is a medial longitudinal section through one of the intermediatebows, and one of the end bows, together with the-roofing plates andmy'improved ceiling plates.

35 Fig. 2. is an enlarged transverse section through one of thesupporting bows and showing the ceiling plate construction.

In the drawings l indicates an intermediate bow of channel shape with anoutwardly presented mouth, flanked at each side by laterally extendingflanges H. l2 indicates an end post.

Supported upon theend posts l2 and flange, ll

of the first bow i0 is a roof shell l3 which, at its inner end, isprovided with a depending flange M which enters the open mouth of thefirst bow. A sound deadening and heat insulating shell l5 lines theinner-surface of shell l3 with its inner edge interposed between shellI3 50 and the under-lying flange H of the bow l0. Extending betweenadjacent bows are arched sheet metal roofing plates l6, provided, ateach transverse edge, with depending flanges IT which lie within theopen mouths of the supporting bows. Heat insulating and sound deadeningvide a substantially smooth arched ceiling for I Mating with "of theceiling plate.

sheet I8 is interposed between each roof plate It and the supportingarches "of the bows. I

At-the springs in the arches of the bow the bows and the tops of the endposts are connected by horizontal runners l3 andthe roof plates l6extend down to these runners, the depending ends of the roof platesbeing firmly attached to these runners and to the bows at the springs ofthearches only.

Thus far. the structure isas disclosed in my above-mentioned patent.

The intermediate ceiling plates 20 have one edge 2| laterally offsetfrom the-main body of the sheet the thickness of a sound deadening sheet22 and atthe other edge 23 laterally offset the thickness of the sounddeadening sheet 22 plus the thickness of the sheet .20. The sheets 20,with their laterally offset edges are nor- 'mally flat, that is,unarched, until assembled in the structure.

the under-surface of each bow I0, from spring to spring of'the archthereof, is an arched sheet metal retainer 30 formed at one edge into anoutstanding flange 3| and at the opposite edge doubled back inwardlyupon itselffas indicatedv at 32, to form a pocket 33 1 capable ofreceiving the laterally offset edge 2| The retaining strip 30 is soassociated with the arched portion of the bow ID as to leave'aspace 34between itself and. the

bow,rand open along the doubled edge of the retainer toafford a spacefor the reception of the laterally'offset edge 23 of a ceiling plate.

Each intermediate bow H1, at one side, is provided with "a retainer 30which is anchored at its ends, at the springs of the arches, to the bow'or to the longitudinal runner with the throats of pocket 33 allfastening in the same direction. These arched retainers 30 are alsodesirably, though not necessarily, attached to their adjacent bows atintermediate points between the springs of the arches, conveniently byspot welding.

- In assembling the ceiling plates, an arched retainer 30 is associatedwith an end how 10, A ceiling plate 20 is then flexed to archedform,overlaid by a deadening sheet 22, its edge 2l inserted into the pocket33 of the retainer 33 and itsedge 23 brought into engagement with theunder-surface of the arch of the next bow Ill. 'I'hereupon anotherarched retainer 30 is associated with that bow l0 and anchored atitsends at the springs of the arches and at in- I termediate points byspot welding, if desired, the

pocketed edge of the. retainer underlying the

